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Retractable headrestRetractable headrest description/claimsThe Patent Description & Claims data below is from USPTO Patent Application 20060163927, Retractable headrest. Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS [0001] This application is a divisional of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/336,723 filed Feb. 14, 2003, the entire contents of which are herein incorporated by reference. BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION [0002] The present invention relates to a headrest for a seat, and more particularly, to a retractable headrest for a rear automotive seat. [0003] As is well known, automotive headrests (also known as head restraints) are extremely valuable in protecting passengers from injury in a collision, or even a sudden stop, by limiting the rearward travel of the passenger's head with respect to the passenger's neck and torso. Therefore, the vast majority of automobiles sold today have headrests installed on both the front and the rear seats for passenger protection. Headrests installed on the front seats are positioned directly behind the driver's and front passenger's heads and do not significantly impair the rearward vision of the driver, either by the driver's use of the rearview mirror or by the driver turning his or her head. When rear passengers are present, they can impair the rearward vision of the driver. However, since the rear seat headrests are positioned behind the rear passengers, the rear seat headrests generally do not significantly add to the rearward vision impairment when rear passengers are present. [0004] On the other hand, when rear passengers are not present, fixed upright rear seat headrests continue to impair the driver's rearward vision. Therefore, it is desirable to provide rear seat headrests in an automobile that can be moved out of the driver's rearward view when rear passengers are not present, but which can be moved into a protecting position when rear passengers are present. There have been prior attempts to address this problem. For instance, in U.S. Pat. No. 3,586,366 to Patrick, a headrest pad is maintained at an adjusted height in a low-profile prone position until inertia from a collision or sudden stop pivots an upper portion of the pad into an upright position for protecting the passenger. The Patrick design can never be completely retracted out of the driver's view. [0005] Others have proposed headrests, generally for the rear seats, where the headrest lies in a retracted position in an indented or sunken portion of the rear deck when not needed, but which can be pivoted out of the sunken portion into an upright position to protect a passenger. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,180 to Klaus, U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,403 to Dieckmann, U.S. Pat. No. 4,623,166 to Andres and U.S. Pat. No. 4,834,456 to Barros. While these headrest designs do retract out of the driver's vision when not in use, they are not particularly attractive or aesthetic in the retracted position and do not provide an integrated or hidden appearance in the retracted position. Similarly, other headrest designs are known which rotate from the ceiling or from the side into an extended position and can be at least partially retracted when not in use. These designs cannot fully retract out of the driver's rear vision. [0006] Another proposal has been for a fixed construction combination headrest/roll bar that is maintained in a generally upright orientation but which can be retracted into a stowage cavity positioned behind the seat when not in use and extended upward out of the stowage cavity by a drive mechanism such as a motor driven rack and pinion when passenger protection is required. See U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,816 to Lutze. This headrest/roll bar is quite large and relatively complex. Still others have proposed use of inflatable headrests that are maintained in a low-profile deflated position when not required but which can be inflated into an upright position when passenger protection is required. See U.S. Pat. No. 4,123,104 to Andres and U.S. Pat. No. 4,865,388 to Nemoto. Neither of these designs truly provides an aesthetic hidden appearance in the retracted position. [0007] Generally, these designs move into the extended position either upon the occurrence of an impact to the vehicle or by requiring a vehicle passenger to perform some manual operation to either manually move the headrest into position or to trigger a drive system to move the headrest into position. [0008] A retractable headrest is desired that overcomes the shortcomings of the prior art. SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION [0009] The present invention is a retractable headrest that is extendable to protect a passenger and retractable to improve rearward visibility for the driver. The headrest is incorporated into the surrounding panels and upholstery to provide a clean attractive appearance, complementary to the surrounding decor, when in the retracted position. [0010] In a first embodiment, the retractable headrest includes a stretchable fabric panel attached to one of a top portion of a seat and a parcel shelf; a headrest shell positioned below the stretchable fabric panel; and an operating mechanism attached to the headrest shell constructed and arranged to raise and lower the headrest shell between a retracted position and an extended position. The headrest shell is constructed and arranged to contact the stretchable fabric panel as it is raised such that the stretchable fabric panel is formed into a shape of the headrest shell when the headrest shell is in the extended position to act as a passenger headrest. The stretchable fabric panel is constructed and arranged to return to its original shape when the headrest shell is moved to the retracted position. [0011] In a second embodiment, the retractable headrest includes a flexible extending cushion having a proximal portion attached to a seat and a free distal portion; the free portion of the extending cushion being movable between a lower retracted position and a higher extended position; and an extending arm that includes an adjustable height portion that can be raised and lowered. The free portion of the extending cushion is positioned over and engages an upper portion of the extending arm such that raising the adjustable height portion of the extending arm raises the free portion of the extending cushion and lowering the extending arm allows the extending cushion to lower with the extending cushion providing a passenger headrest in the extended position. [0012] In a third embodiment, the retractable headrest includes a headrest frame assembly, the frame assembly including a forward portion pivotally mounted about a fixed pivot and a cushioned portion, the first headrest frame pivotally movable from a lowered retracted position to a raised extended position; a channel positioned on a parcel shelf of the vehicle, the channel shaped complementary to the headrest frame assembly to receive the headrest frame assembly in a complementary manner when the headrest frame assembly is in the retracted position; and an operating mechanism attached to the headrest frame assembly for raising and lowering the headrest frame assembly. [0013] A fourth embodiment is a hybrid between the second and third embodiments where a flexible extending cushion is raised and lowered by a pivotally mounted forward portion of a frame assembly. [0014] It is a specific object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that can be retracted when not in use so as not to impair the driver's vision. [0015] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that has an aesthetic appearance integrated into the surrounding panels and upholstery when in both the extended position and the retracted position. [0016] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that in the retracted position has an appearance integrated into the seat, parcel shelf, surrounding panels and/or upholstery so as not to appear as a headrest. [0017] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that is maintained in the retracted position until it is sensed that a passenger has occupied the seat corresponding to that headrest, whereupon the headrest is automatically extended to protect the passenger. [0018] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that automatically retracts when it is sensed that a passenger has exited from the seat corresponding to that headrest. [0019] It is a further object of the present invention to provide a retractable headrest that is simple in construction. [0020] These and further objects of the present invention will become apparent from the description herein read in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Continue reading about Retractable headrest... Full patent description for Retractable headrest Brief Patent Description - Full Patent Description - Patent Application Claims Click on the above for other options relating to this Retractable headrest patent application. ###  How KEYWORD MONITOR works... a FREE service from FreshPatents1. Sign up (takes 30 seconds). 2. Fill in the keywords to be monitored. 3. Each week you receive an email with patent applications related to your keywords. Start now! - Receive info on patent apps like Retractable headrest or other areas of interest. ### Previous Patent Application: Vehicle seat with floor position Next Patent Application: Head-rest for a seat back-rest, in particular for a vehicle seat back-rest Industry Class: Chairs and seats ### FreshPatents.com Support Thank you for viewing the Retractable headrest patent info. IP-related news and info Results in 0.13734 seconds Other interesting Feshpatents.com categories: Novartis , Pfizer , Philips , Polaroid , Procter & Gamble , 174 |
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